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Legio Vindictus
The Legio Vindictus is one of the Titan Legions of the Collegia Titanica, which form the strongest and most prestigious military arms of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Records regarding the Legio’s history are fragmentary at best, as for instance the Legio’s true homeworld is unknown. Since the later part of the Great Crusade however, the Legio Vindictus has elected home on the Forge World of Kiavahr, which is perhaps best known for being the homeworld of the Raven Guard Legion. The Legio Vindictus holds a special place in Imperial history as, whilst many a Titan Legion declared itself wholly for the Traitor Warmaster Horus Lupercal or the Emperor, and some as the Legio Tempestus indeed split into two rival fractions, the Legio Vindictius is the only Titan Legion known to have been actively infiltrated and at least having come partially under control of the highly secretive and illusive dissidents of the Order of the Dragon. Legion History The Legio Vindictus’ history is shrouded in mystery and records of it are fragmentary at best. In fact, apart from its close affiliation with the Raven Guard and its ever-lasting shame for having allowed itself to have been infiltrated by enemies of the Emperor, virtually nothing is known about the Legion and even its most renowned battle honours all date back to the dark years of the Horus Heresy. The Legio’s original foundation and true homeworld are unknown, but what little can be known is that the Legio had been charged with the solemn duty of protecting the newly rediscovered Forge World of Kiavahr in the later part of the Great Crusade. Formidable as they are, Kiavahr’s forges would have been insufficient to manufacture an entire Titan Legion - even of modest size - in the century and a half that separated the introduction of Kiavahr within the alliance of planets formed by the Imperium of Mankind and the beginning of the Horus Heresy. This only leads to the conclusion that the Legio must have been splintered off from one of the greater and more powerful Legions of the Collegia Titanica or relocated to Kiavahr after its discovery. Given Kiavahr’s special situation as both a Forge World and a homeworld of one of the Legiones Astartes, this would sufficient to warrant the protection of a Titan Legion. The tense relations between the Kiavahrian Tech-Guilds, artificers and artisans and the followers of the Machine God could also indicate that the Mechanicum desired to keep an eye on this peculiar world and if necessary have a powerful contingent of loyal troops ready to crush any form of rebellion. Indeed, the Legio Vindictus has always seemed to have benefitted from large amounts of supporting troops such as Skitarii, Sagitarri, Praetorians and Heraklii, deployed perhaps in anticipation of civil war or insurrection, a precautionary measure that proved its effectiveness in the quick repression of the Kiavahrian Uprisings. Some have argued that the high level of infiltration by the Order of the Dragon must indicate a close tie to holy Mars itself, whilst other point out that if the Legio Vindictus origins ever truly laid on Mars, the Legio must have had some dealings with the office of the Fabricator-General, which notoriously turned traitor under the influence of Kelbor-Hal. Yet the majority of the Legio Vindictus’ troops remained loyal and distinguished itself fighting alongside the Raven Guard in many battles. Along other more notable campaigns listed below, Vindictus’ Titans were often deployed in small numbers to garrison liberated worlds such as Narsis after the the Siege of the Perfect Fortress had ended with the victory of the Raven Guard and their allies of the Therion Cohort. It would be alongside these two formations, and particularly alongside Marcus Valerius’ Therion Cohorts that the Legio Vindictus would fight most of its battles. Notable Campaigns * Kiavahrian Uprisings (Unknown Date, circa 007.M31) - As Mars before it, Kiavahr knows civil war when the Kiavahrian Tech-Guilds - long deemed defeated but never truly eradicated for lack of time - try to seize control of the main forge complexes in Nabrik, Kiavahr’s capital city. A seditious cult within the Mechanicum later identified as the Order of the Dragon supports the Guilders. Having managed to corrupt or take control of several engines from the Legio Vindictus, including the mighty Magnus Casei and at the very least four Warhound Scout Titans, the Order attacked the fortress of the XIXth Legion known as Ravendelve, while insurrectionnist infantry tries to seize Prime Forge and other key-locations. With the planet’s Mechanicum descending into civil war, the Legio Vindictus is called upon by Supreme Magos Deltiari to restore order and the remaining engines of the Legio quickly mobilize. Thanks to the quick intervention of the Raven Guard Legion, the uprisings are crushed within a day. The true fate of those Titans that sided with the enemy is unknown, but it is commonly believed that they were mercilessly hunted down by the Legio in an attempt to restore their honour. * Reconquest of Euesa (Unknown Date, circa 009/010.M31) - Located in the Vandreggan Sector, the world of Euesa was the last world of this segment of space to fall back into Imperial hands, liberated by the forces of the Raven Guard, the Therion Cohort and the Legio Vindictus. The Reconquest of Euesa, while coming at a great cost for the Therion Cohort and its allies of the Capricon 13th Suppression Regiment and the Lothor Pioneer Corps was ultimately only a minor clash for the Titans of Legio Vindictus, with only a few enemy Titans having been stationned on Euesa. Yet, left unchecked these once-honorable god-engines may well have prevented the Raven Guard from attaining its goals. Deploying several Maniples of Titans, the Legio Vindictus supported the ground assault of the Therions from the front lines. Thanks to the tactical prudence of the Therion’s commander, Sub-Caesari Marcus Valerius, which had held a powerful reserve back, two of the Legio’s Titans proved decisive into routing and eradicating an Alpha Legion-led surprise attack, thus securing the army’s flank. Other engines of the Legio even saved the Sub-Caesari’s life when his command Capitol came under attack by an enemy Titan. Notable Titans * Magnus Casei (''Imperator''-class Titan) - The Magnus Casei was the Legio Vindictus’ mightiest God-engine. Having served in many great battles, it is unknown how this most-revered engine of war came under control of the seditious sub-cults of the Mechanicum known as the Order of the Dragon. During the early years of the Horus Heresy, Magnus Casei’s initial treachery was the long awaited spark that sparked the tinderbox that had become Kiavahr. Whilst the Magnus Casei’s guns were brought to bear on the Raven Guard fortress known as Ravendelve, the Alpha Legion-led insurrections of the Kiavahrian Tech-guilds spurred the severely depleted Raven Guard into action. Known as the Kiavahrian Uprising, these events saw other Titans of the Legio Vindictus, presumably also controlled by the Order of the Dragon, take side with the rebels, while Loyalist Titans had to battle their former brothers. As would only far later be discovered, the entire insurrection had been but a diversion to allow one of the Alpha Legion's twin-Primarchs, Omegon, to infiltrate the Ravendelve-complex and steal the highly valuable Primarch-gene-seed template given to Corvus Corax by the Emperor Himself. Although the Loyalists ultimately won the battle for Kiavahr, Magnus Casei’s ultimate fate remains unknown. Notable Personnel * Princeps Senioris Niadansal - Commanding officer of the Legio Vindictus’ Titan Maniples deployed on Euesa. Legion Appearance Legion Colours The Legio Vindictus’ colours are not currently listed in Imperial records. Legion Badge The Legio Vindictus’ badge is not currently listed in Imperial records. Sources *''Deliverance Lost'' (Novel) by Gav Thorpe *''The Divine Word'' (Short Story) by Gav Thorpe, in Legacies of Betrayal (Anthology) Category:L Category:Adeptus Mechanicus Category:Collegia Titanica Category:History Category:Imperial History Category:Imperial Walkers Category:Imperium Category:Walkers